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Iber Valtiade
Iber Valtiade is one of the central protagonists of the first season of Mobile Suit Stark Gundam, and an important supporting character of the second. He is a student at the Extra-Lunar Technical College on the Extra-Lunar Holmes ''Colony and the pilot of the ''Knight DomainGundam. As the youngest and the least experienced of the four Gundam Pilots, his place amongst them is a controversial one throughout the series, but he has proven his dedication to the cause of independence time and again from the cockpit of his Gundam. Appearance & Personality Iber has long, dark blue hair that reaches his shoulders, and a pair of piercing blue eyes. A case of mild nearsightedness means he often wears eyeglasses when necessary, although he dislikes having to use them. At the beginning of the series, Iber Valtiade is laid-back and almost care-free in front of his friends, and although sometimes quite reserved, he is outgoing and unafraid to speak his mind when asked. His strong feelings about pacifism and lofty ideals can often bring him into conflict with those around him, especially his fellow Gundam Pilots, who tend to frown on his open idealism and general naivete. Despite his own views, Iber is shown to care deeply for those around him, and is often the first to recognize when his friends have problems and never hesitates to step in to help, in spite of their past conflicts. However, he also possesses a strong sense of justice, which motivates him to make a difference however he can. This sense of justice, however, often conflicts with his own distaste for violence, resulting in much personal turmoil that is sometimes mistaken for indecisiveness in the moment. Early on, Iber strikes up a long-lasting friendship with fellow Gundam Pilot Richter Bragas despite their obvious differences. Through Richter, Iber Valtiade sees a world beyond the plentiful setting in which he grew up ignorant of the true extent of the injustice across the solar system. Iber's naivete and general optimism is tempered by Richter's cool cynicism and determination. The two grow to admire each other's qualities while striving to match the other's dedication to the cause. With Richter's help, he reconciles his sense of justice with his belief in pacifism, accepting that acceptance and understanding can't solve everyone's problems all of the time. Iber understands through his friend that violence is sometimes the only answer you are left with, but only as long as every effort has been made to resolve the conflict without resorting to violence first. The Iber Valtiade of the second season is a much more mature and experienced pilot, having been tempered in his final trial by fire at the close of the first season. Richter's cynicism has rubbed off on him somewhat, and although he is still possessed of his old optimism, he tempers it with a sense of realism so that he never gets quite as carried away as he used to. Despite his new experience, his old civilian naivete still shows through, although it is rarely as much of a burden as it used to be and is even treated as a blessing by many of his comrades. Following the events of the first season, Iber resolves to find new ways to obtain independence for the colonies and to end the injustices committed by the New Earth Alliance that do not rely on guerrilla warfare and acts of outright terrorism. This new resolve and dedication to his old pacifistic nature, however, bring him into conflict with his fellow Gundam Pilots and the rebels fighting for independence during the second season of the show. Skills & Abilities Being the youngest and least experienced of the four Gundam Pilots, Iber Valtiade's skills are somewhat lacking. Before receiving the experimental Mobile Weapon "Gundam" and taking up the cause for Colonial Independence, Iber had never undergone any kind of military training. He lacks any hand-to-hand combat skills and had never fired a gun before being taught how to shoot by his enduring friend Richter Bragas. While he had piloted Mobile Workers during work placements organised by his college, Iber had never even set foot in a Mobile Suit before receiving the Knight DomainGundam in N.E.C. 159. Although he grows into a skilled pilot over the course of the series, Iber's skills as a soldier are lacking throughout. While certainly no soldier, it wasn't his skills as a warrior that got him chosen to be one of the four Gundam Pilots. Thanks to a natural aptitude for technology, Iber Valtiade is one of the top students at the Extra-Lunar Technical College located on the Holmes ''Extra-Lunar Space Colony. An example of his engineering prowess is the small, ball-shaped robot he built for a College Project at the Extra-Lunar Technical College. The simple little robot, christened "Haro" by his childhood friend Kinji Kayratt, is capable of simple speech and is largely immobile. Iber would, however, go on to design and build two more custom "Haro" robots in his own time for himself and his close friend Richter Bragas, each more advanced than the first. These custom "Haro" robots are capable of far more extensive alhough still limited speech, and are gifted with surprising mobility in most environments given their ability to roll and hover at will. They also seem to possess some limited Artificial Intelligence, given that each bears a distinct personality based on the Gundam Pilot they were intended for, further proof of Iber's immense engineering expertise. As one of the top students, his skills in engineering are unmatched by any of the other Gundam Pilots, allowing him to maintain the ''Knight DomainGundam without the same resources afforded to Trafalgar Reed or Rexia Messervy, both of whom require secondary personnel to maintain their own machines. With the extra logistical support provided by the services of the Mercenary Konrad Sapkowski, Iber Valtiade is almost entirely self-sufficient from his safe-house on the Extra-Lunar Holmes ''Colony. Thanks to his natural flair for technology, he possesses some significant skill in hacking as well, allowing him to access information that would have been denied to someone lacking his skills. While lacking skill as a Mobile Suit Pilot, the MS-GDM031 ''Knight Domain ''Gundam is not a complex nor difficult machine to control, allowing even a rookie pilot like Iber Valtiade to fight effectively. Although built as a General-Purpose Military-Grade Mobile Suit, it was tailored to the sensibilities and skills of its pilot. As such, the ''Knight DomainGundam possesses a much more complex Operating System than the other three, and comes with a specialized Hacking Suite which allows Iber to remotely access encrypted systems within a certain radius of his machine. The [[MS-GDM031 Knight Domain Gundam|MS-GDM031 Knight Domain ''Gundam]] also comes equipped with a limited Field Maintenance Suite, allowing Iber to enact limited repairs on both his machine and those of his comrades in the field. History To be added. Relationships Richter Bragas Although the two of them couldn't be more different, events early on in the series force them together and they forge an enduring friendship through their shared trials. Richter admires Iber's staunch dedication to pacifism and comes to rely on him for his constant optimism and support. For his part, Iber idolizes his friend's tenacity and determination and relies on the Martian for his cool cynicism which tempers his otherwise wild optimism and general naivete. Trafalgar Reed Trafalgar and Iber's relationship is a strained one throughout the series, largely due to the latter's closeness with Trafalgar Reed's constant and bitter rival Richter Bragas, although the difference in their views and methods also serves to create further distance between them. Their conflict isn't a personal one, however, and they both make efforts to bridge the gap between them throughout the show. Iber's decision to side with Richter over Trafalgar and the Colonial Uprising permanently embitters the two in the end, though Trafalgar is more disappointed than angry with Iber's decision. Rexia Messervy Rexia and Iber were not fast friends. Rexia took an immediate disliking to Iber due to his closeness with Richter, whom she disliked due to his constant conflict with Trafalgar Reed, with whom she was romantically involved. After Iber helps her to identify her real parents and to locate her birthplace, the two become good friends during the first season of the show. Iber even briefly admits to having had a crush on her for the duration of the first season, but dismisses his feelings for her by the end. Despite this friendship, they find themselves on opposite sides during the second season, and their friendship turns to bitter conflict as the Gundam Pilots split on the issue of the violent civilian uprisings. In spite of it all, the two strive to maintain their friendship despite the conflict that separates them, and they even co-operate frequently in their attempts to bring an end to the fighting before serious damage is done. Trivia # The "Haro" Unit Iber builds for himself is painted a dark blue with green eyes, and possesses a personality that imitates that of its creator. It appears care-free and acts quite relaxed around the Gundam Pilots, while also expressing a distaste for violence in much the same manner as Iber himself. The Blue "Haro" is capable of recognizing all three of the other Gundam Pilots by name and appearance, and addresses its brother unit as "brother". Humorously, Iber's "Haro" Unit expresses disapproval over his brief crush on the ''Spectre FellGundam's Pilot, in contrast with Iber's own feelings. This is further proof of his skill, however, as it would seem that the two "Haro" Units possess some capacity for autonomy and can act independent of their basis on the Stark Dragoon and Knight Domain Gundam Pilots.